Social Contract
The following is a basic set of rules you agree to obey while participating in Realms of Hyrule. They aren't listed in any particular order. This information is taken directly from the RoH Instruction Manual 'No Spamming' - Spamming can mean a number of things: • A message that is off topic, or doesn't pertain to the thread it is posted in. • A message posted with the sole intent of raising post count. • A post under 100 words (travel threads excluded). • A post that adds nothing to the thread - poorly thought out and put together. • Travel thread abuse. • A topic or post that contains no RP, but only out of character speaking. • An illiterately composed post – anything that is overly difficult to comprehend • A post that is any language other than English. These examples certainly don't cover every eventuality, and are just that, examples. It is the prerogative of the Moderating Team to determine what is and isn't spam. 'No double posting' - posting more than once in a row in the same topic will be considered spam, unless at least 6 hours has passed. There may be certain exceptions to this rule, but that decision is the prerogative of the Moderating Team. Double posting also includes posting more than once in a row in the same topic under the same I.P. address consecutively. Its purpose is to keep a person from using multiple accounts and posting back and forth between them to gain experience and benefit himself. Even if these multiple accounts are owned by other friends, siblings, etc. it is still restricted. There is no concrete way of proving this and therefore we must restrict it altogether. If your friend or sibling wishes to still post, they must post elsewhere unless waiting the standard 6 hours a single member would have to wait. 'No Godmodding' - Godmodding is a problem in almost every forum RPG, and Realms of Hyrule is no exception. Godmodding, unfortunately, is also one of those things that cannot be easily defined and identified. Here at RoH, godmodding is anything that involves making your character overly powerful, or super-human, or extremely skilled, in such a way that the people you are role-playing with are negatively impacted. For example, if you're having a role-playing battle, and you make your character dodge every attack flawlessly, that is godmodding. If you make them survive impossible scenarios, that is godmodding. In general, should two parties come into conflict in RP and they cannot agree on the outcome of their fight out of character (via chat or PM) then the disagreement should become a Battle System fight, letting character sheets and dice rolls decide the winner. If one person in the conflict opted to not fill out Battle System facts in their character sheet, this person is considered to have immediately forfeited the match. Controlling other characters without explicit permission is also a severe no-no. Godmodding also applies to character sheets. You are not allowed to go over the amount of xp you are awarded. You can not edit your info to inaccurately reflect your characters skills. You are not allowed to go over the accepted limits, or add your own additions (other than approved perks) to the information. Of course, simply having immense powers does not necessarily constitute godmodding. With the permission of the Moderating Team, responsible and considerate role-players may be granted more power or abilities, on the condition and trust that they will not be used in a way that negatively effects another's enjoyment in RoH. 'Role-play considerately with others' - We are here, as a community, to have fun. When role-playing, you must always keep this in mind. First and foremost, you must never do anything that strongly affects another's character unless you are reasonably sure that they do not mind or it is perfectly allowed. In the godmodding rule, it is mentioned that you should never make your characters survive impossible scenarios. The other side of that is that, unless you have the implicit permission from the person in question, you should not be stabbing them in the face in the first place. This extends to non-battle situations as well. If someone's character has a hood over their face, and their face is supposed to be hidden, do not make your character catch a glimpse of it without their consent. If someone is eavesdropping on a conversation, don't make your character spot him or her immediately or unrealistically. On the other hand, if there is a supposedly private conversation going on, don't make your character eavesdrop, unless you are certain that it can be logically done. In the end, we couldn't possibly give enough examples to cover everything - just try to use your common sense, don't drastically disrupt other people's plans or stories, and treat their posts and they themselves with respect. 'No excessive profanity or graphic content without in-thread warning tags'- We run at a PG-13 level. Meaning moderate cursing and gore, and light sexual discussions/innuendos are allowed across the board. If you are writing about actions that might be considered overly violent or contain strong profanity or brazen innuendos of a sexual nature, it is best to use a spoiler tag. If it would require a NSFW Tag, just don't do it. If you are unaware of whether a specific action would get you in trouble, run it by the Moderating Team beforehand to remove all doubts. 'Major RP elements or powers that aren't in your Character Sheet' - You need to get permission before doing anything highly unusual or drastic, or trying to start an establishment such as an inn. So if you want your character to be able to throw fireballs, fine - but you need permission first, and if your permission is denied, then you will abide by the Moderating Team' decision. This rule especially applies to any form of magic or special powers, but certainly isn't limited to that. If you have an idea for a major plot element or power that you feel may be outside the norm, the best way to submit your idea is through the Ticket System . 'No Rent-a-modding' - Many members, when they see rule-breaking, double-posting, or something else that they perceive to be bad in some way take it upon themselves to hand out chastisement. That is called rent-a-modding, and it is not allowed. Unless you are part of the Moderating Team, you do NOT have the authority to try to enforce our rules - not even verbally. A bit of friendly advice in the form of a PM or on the side of a post to a newbie who's double-posting is fine, but posting for the sole reason of yelling at someone for breaking a rule is not acceptable. 'Originality' – Names, titles, items, and characters that are taken from another source are prohibited. Unoriginal concepts taken directly from another source are ill advised, and often prohibited as well. You are strongly recommended to be as original as possible in everything that you do, but any influences in your story should be renamed and molded to fit into RoH for your character. Do not plagiarize. Plagiarism is completely unacceptable, both in and out of the RP. For example, do not take someone else's profile (from here or a different website) and switch out your character's name for the original. If you are found to be stealing someone else's work, you will be heavily striked, if not banned. 'No More Than Two Characters-' (excepting the purchase of a 3rd character slot) - Maximum of two characters allowed at any given point in time. Should you wish to have a third character, you may purchase a 3rd character slot from the store with accumulated rupees. You can retire characters, and transfer their exp, and then bring them back and retire the newer character for a fee of 50 rupees, but you may only have a max of three active characters at any point in time. Any more will result in deletion and possible strike action. 'No Impersonating Other Members' - Impersonating any member of Realms of Hyrule, old or new, will absolutely not be tolerated. This can include creating a new account with the name of an old member and claiming to be that person. Anyone caught doing so will be banned for an indefinite amount of time. While this rule should be common sense, it is still being placed here for clarification, so don’t say we didn’t warn you. 'Stay within the Zelda Universe' – When role-playing, attempt to apply your story to the Zelda universe. You may not bring in monsters, items, races, ideals, or certain individuals from other games and sources. (i.e. Mario, Donkey Kong, Final Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons) unless it is universal enough for the Zelda environment or you receive special permission. Technology not suitable for The Legend of Zelda (i.e. Televisions, Microwaves, Firearms, Rockets, Automobiles) is also prohibited. Creating your own monsters is not recommended, and often disallowed. If you have a question about something you would like to apply to your story, bring it up with the council. ''' Signature limits – Signatures can include two banners, which combined can’t be more than 500 px high, and one line of text that can’t be more than size four font. The banners can be 500 px wide. If you wish to only include text into your signature, then you can have up to five lines of text all of which must be size four font or smaller. If you feel like you need your signature to be larger than the limitations, then you can ask part of the Moderating Team for permission to have a larger signature. Also, posting a link to a site in your signature in the form of a regular url is not allowed. If you wish to have a link to another site, then it must be hyperlinked. If a The Moderating Team or Admins feels that your signature needs to be smaller, or changed for any reason, then we can ask you to modify it. Punishments''' - Depending on the severity of a rule-breaking, you will be given a strike. Three strikes earn you a weeklong ban. Six earn a permanent ban. Other punishments may be administered at the discretion of the Moderating Team. Under certain circumstances, your punishment may be even greater. If you are banned, you may not continue to participate with the activities of RoH using another account. If you do so, all of your accounts will likely be permanently banned. The staff reserves the right to increase punishments based on the abuse perpetrated. 'Moderating Team Power Abuse' – If you believe part of the Moderating Team is abusing their position in some way, whether it is giving unjust punishments or acting as if certain rules do not apply to them, notify another Moderator or Admin. Never confront a Mod with accusations of power abuse, or you could be striked for flaming. Simply inform another Moderator/Admin, and let them handle the situation. 'No Personal Attacks' - Although cussing and attacks are allowed in the RP as the story dictates, do not take these to OoC areas, and do not attack other members. Do not instigate or bait another member into attacking you. If you believe that a member is harassing you or another member, please do not hesitate to contact the Moderating Team 'Chat Rules' - The rules of chat are fairly free flowing. There is lighter moderation, but be respectful and mindful of the feelings of others. Considering this site is used by people of all ages, users are encouraged to abide by their own verbal filters and good common sense. There is no tolerance for personal attacks on anyone who RPs here and discussion of touchy topics of debate such as religion and politics are strongly discouraged. Remember that in the internet community people come from all over the world and have their own culture and background. Contact someone if a Mod is abusing their power, spamming, w/e. It all still applies. 'Notice on Submitted Work's - If you submit any kind of 'work' to the owner, administrators, or council of Realms of Hyrule for the purpose of it being used by RoH, said parties will not be required to remove said work at a later time. If you change your mind after submittal and wish for RoH to end usage, you may consult an Admin/owner, but they will not be legally obligated to discontinue. Case in point, if you don't want RoH to have and use your work forever, don't give it to us (or at least consult an Admin beforehand). Any submitted work will never be wrongfully credited, though credit will not generally be given formally for individual works. *Submitted works include, but are not limited to: *Graphic pieces (banners, artwork, sprites, etc.) *Text documents (write-ups, news posts, etc.) *Coding (any kind of mods, etc. created by the submitter) Category:Forum Mechanics